Legal Relationships
by sunnycalendargirl
Summary: Excerpt from Ex umbra in solem. Tsuna works to forge a legal relationship with Xanxus. R27, X27. Written for the KHRfest prompt: II. 37. Tsuna/Xanxus – request; "Be my ally, and in return, I’ll be yours."


**A/N:** Another Ex umbra in solem excerpt for the KHR fest.

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"You can't keep putting this off Tsuna," Reborn told him sternly, leading against the side of Tsuna's desk with that irritating casual elegance of his that always made Tsuna's eyebrow twitch with a combination of envy and frustration. "You need to talk to him. Not just about this, either. He's been on the road working with the others for close to six weeks now. As insane as he normally is, that's just nuts."

"I know," Tsuna frowned at the silent rebuke in Reborn's words. "I'm going bankrupt with the way they're clearing out their backlog of jobs. Those are supposed to be spread out over the next year."

The truth was, Xanxus and his assassins had vanished the day after Reborn and the other Arcobaleno had regained their normal sizes. Tsuna had been slightly surprised at the speed, but not the action itself. After all, he and Xanxus had been sleeping together irregularly since Tsuna was sixteen and he'd negotiated with Xanxus regarding the disposal of his troublesome virginity. It wasn't love, or even any sort of relationship, really. If anything, it was more of a slowly budding friendship that, three years later, suddenly seemed to be falling apart.

He hadn't realized at the time that Reborn's return of stature would cause so many problems. All he'd been able to think about was how desperately he needed to deal with that frustrating curse. He'd figured out long ago that Reborn was his soul mate in so many ways, but that hadn't kept him from taking lovers along the way.

His first priority had to be consolidating his Family in any way that he could, even if that meant giving them a more intimate connection to himself and each other than he really should. Reborn had been graceful about accepting it, and even now, Tsuna had found it amusing that Reborn's eyes wandered as much as his own, giving Tsuna yet another tool with which to bring his people closer.

"You should have told him before we all went into the lab, Tsuna," Reborn scolded him gently. "Even someone like Xanxus needs some sort of connection with the world."

"Well how was I supposed to know he'd decide to go on a rampage of death and destruction? It's not like he's in love with me or anything," Tsuna shot back, frowning at him. "He's always been extremely clear about that." He didn't mention that the truth of that had hurt at various times over the past few years, no matter how hot and arousing their times together were. The fact that Xanxus didn't trust him enough to even sleep afterwards said everything, as far as Tsuna was concerned.

"You and Xanxus have both mastered the art of denial very well," Reborn informed him, smirking slightly.

"Shouldn't you be against the idea of people falling in love with me, Reborn?" Tsuna asked, pouting slightly in frustration.

"Love is as good a tool as any to tie a Family together, Tsuna," Reborn almost-lectured, moderating the tone enough to keep it in the realm of conversation rather than teaching. "If they love you, the chances of them turning on you are greatly reduced. Besides," and he paused here to smirk again, "you miss him."

Tsuna frowned again, but finally sighed. "I do. I don't know why, because I hardly ever see him, but it bothers me that he's out there blowing off steam and deliberately avoiding coming home."

"On the upside, your reputation for being ruthless is growing with every job they finish," Reborn teased him, amused.

"Do you really think doing this earlier would have helped?" Tsuna asked, voice almost sliding back into the childlike tones of his youth, eager for reassurance. "Do you think it still could help?"

"I think it's an enormous sign of trust, Tsuna." Reborn nodded slowly. "We should have done this when you first took over. It's never too late for something like this, though. I think it will make all the difference you need it to, and it will keep him on a shorter leash, as well. You need to do that, with some of us."

"I hate it when you refer to it that way," Tsuna told him, glaring now, with a deep fire burning in his eyes. "It makes you sound like dogs, or some type of pets, at least."

"I don't think you understand." Reborn moved then, slipping between Tsuna and the desk to face him properly. "There are those in your Family, like myself, like him, who are extremely dangerous. Not just to you, but to the organization itself. In some ways, we're stronger and more brutal than you will ever be, Tsuna. Our loyalty to you is our leash. It keeps us from losing control and from destroying what we value the most."

"So you're saying that by creating these relationships, with you, even with Mukuro, Kyoya and Xanxus, I'm doing something good for you?" Tsuna clearly didn't comprehend the breadth of the point that Reborn was trying to make.

"I'm saying that by giving us something to focus on, you keep us from attacking you, and each other." Reborn reached out with long, graceful fingers and ruffled Tsuna's hair. "How many of the most dangerous of your Family came to you first as enemies, Tsuna? You've tamed them. Hell, you somehow managed to draw me into that net of yours, and I'm the master at picking and choosing what I want."

"I'm surprised you're so agreeable to this idea," Tsuna mused, leaning into the petting. "I thought you hated him at first, after the Ring battles, for what he did to Grandfather. But you've changed some, Reborn. You let him touch me, and now you're suggesting I spend more time with him. Why?"

"It's simple, Tsuna." Reborn leaned closer and moved from ruffling to stroking Tsuna's hair. "You're the only true champion our Family has. It's my job to arm you as thoroughly as possible. Xanxus is a good weapon for a boss to have in his arsenal, and he can't continue to be a loose cannon. You've got to bring him under some sort of control."

"That's not why I'm doing this," Tsuna told him firmly, reluctantly pulling back from his touch. "I could never force any of you to serve the Family." Sighing softly, he glanced at the folder on his desk for another long minute. He hated to let Reborn out of his sight so soon after freeing him, but there was no one else strong enough to do what Tsuna needed to be done. "Go, Reborn. Bring him back to the estate by the end of the week, whether he's willing to come or not. Just bring him back in one piece."

In most situations, Reborn would have informed Tsuna that he was being too bossy, but this was business and so Reborn simply nodded. "Yes boss."

Tsuna could hear the echo of pride and approval in Reborn's voice as he left and he held it close to his heart as he settled more comfortably into his chair. He knew Reborn better than anyone else alive, and so he'd also heard the undertones of concern for Tsuna's heart, and his determination to bring Xanxus back. The truth was that Tsuna couldn't blame him for worrying. Ever since that first insane time with Xanxus, he'd allowed himself to become fond, maybe even more than fond, of him. He wanted that growing friendship, that deepening connection back, wanted to know that if he called that Xanxus would come, if only to yell at him for bothering him.

It took almost a week for Reborn to drag Xanxus back, and Tsuna had a moment of admiration for the leader of his Varia. Reborn was a hard person to avoid when he was on the hunt, and Xanxus had managed to elude him for days, dragging him across three countries before he managed to catch up. To Tsuna, the most amusing part was how irritated Reborn looked when he escorted Xanxus in and how calm and slightly smug Xanxus looked as he sailed into the room like he owned it.

"You could have called, Tsunayoshi," Xanxus said as he sank into the chair across from Tsuna's desk like a lion settling on the savannah, all predatory intent. "I'm sure I would have returned your call eventually."

"I would have called, but that wouldn't have guaranteed that you'd actually show when I needed you." Glancing up at Reborn, Tsuna nodded slightly towards the door, his eyes silently asking for privacy. Reborn's nod of agreement and silent departure didn't go unnoticed.

"Got him trained like a good dog already, hm?" Xanxus raised an eyebrow as he smirked. "You really are some sort of incubus, aren't you Tsunayoshi?"

"You tell me," Tsuna fired back, temper strung thin after almost a week of dealing with political and emotional stress by himself, most of it revolving around why he'd had Xanxus brought back. "Either way, that's not the point of this conversation. I brought you back here because I need you to sign something for me."

That managed to catch Xanxus' attention long enough to draw him out of the foul mood that radiated off of him like a dark cloud. There were many things Tsuna had learned about Xanxus over the past few years, and one of them was that business took precedence over all other things when it came to the Family. He'd walk away in the middle of sex if something came up that he thought needed to be addressed right away.

"Here," Tsuna took the folder from his desk and a fountain pen, handing both to him. "I need you to sign and seal this, and then you can go if you want." Personally, he wanted Xanxus to stay, wanted to sort out the problems between them so that this ache inside him would stop.

It reassured him somewhat that Xanxus settled into his chair fully and opened the folder, taking the time to read through the papers carefully. While Tsuna had grown up innocent and far too trusting, Xanxus had grown up in the mafia and knew better than to sign something without understanding the full ramifications of it first. Leaning back against his desk and watching him, Tsuna watched as realization dawned over Xanxus' face and those dangerous ruby eyes started to burn as they lifted to meet his.

"Are you out of your fucking mind, you ridiculous little brat?" Xanxus snarled, waving the folder with what might almost be called righteous indignation. "Is this some sort of fucking joke? Did that ridiculous bastard of yours convince you that this would be funny?" He stood, jacket flaring around him as his rage grew quickly.

"It was my choice, Xanxus. You are my choice. I didn't ask for and I certainly don't need anyone else's advice in making this decision. I made it years ago, back in Namimori." Rather than backing away from the angry man, Tsuna moved closer. "I chose when I trusted you that first time, Xanxus."

The other man froze and stared down at him at the reminder of exactly how much trust Tsuna had placed in him over the past few years. Tsuna could see a thread of confusion in those angry eyes and did the only thing he could. He smiled, tilting his head up at Xanxus and letting all of the affection and worry shine through, all at once.

"You are the most fucking aggravating person on the planet, Tsunayoshi," Xanxus snarled down at him. "Normal people settle on one thing and are happy. You're a greedy little brat."

"I like my life, Xanxus, and I prefer having you around," Tsuna informed him bluntly, moving forward a bit more, slowly closing the gap between them. "When I woke up and found out you'd left not just the estate but the country, I was really pissed off at you."

"So you decided to make me your heir?" Xanxus was clearly struggling to find any sort of logic in that chain of events and failing. "That makes no sense at all."

"I wanted some sort of connection to you," Tsuna replied, looking up at him with earnest eyes, "something that didn't have to do with my being the boss and being able to order you to do something. I've just been afraid to bring it up because I knew you'd blow up over it, or think it was some sort of charity or something. You can be really touchy sometimes, you know…"

He stopped speaking when a closed fist bopped him lightly on the top of the head, making him wince and close his eyes. It wasn't an aggressive act, however, and seemed like it was more a move designed to make him stop talking. Opening his eyes cautiously, he peered up at Xanxus.

"I still wonder regularly how you manage to survive in this world," Xanxus muttered, turning away from him.

Tsuna was about to object when he realized that Xanxus had turned away to sign the papers Tsuna had given him. He heard the scratch of pen over paper and then watched as Xanxus tucked the papers back into the folder before setting it on Tsuna's desk. He couldn't help the happy smile that started to spread across his face as Xanxus finally turned back to him.

"You could have just said you missed me and wanted me to come home, brat," Xanxus told him haughtily, not acknowledging in the least that he'd been the one who'd left without a word in what was obviously an emotional reaction to Reborn's addition to Tsuna's romantic circle.

"I missed you," Tsuna promptly told him, smiling at him brightly, "and I'm really glad you came home, Xanxus." He could handle Xanxus' refusal to deal with his emotions, as long as he was nearby and Tsuna could look after him properly.


End file.
